Around 200 extra jobs are expected to be created as a result of the deal, which will see the London-based firm establish a major new base at the Quorum Business Park in Newcastle.
News of the deal has been welcomed as a boost to the rented office space market in Newcastle and as another step forward for the Quorum development, which recently agreed to let 13,500 square feet of office space to the motor insurance firm Insurethebox.
“We have invested heavily in the infrastructure, amenities and sports facilities at Quorum and are pleased that high-quality buildings such as Q14 are enticing major PLCs like Balfour Beatty to our region,” said the development’s director, Fergus Trim.
“The northeast has so much to offer these companies,” he added.
Quorum is described by its operators as being among the largest speculative business park developments in the UK, and the price of office space to rent at the site is reportedly increasing due to rising demand.
Balfour Beatty was founded just over a hundred years ago by mechanical engineer George Beatty and chartered accountant Andrew Balfour. The group now operates in the areas of infrastructure investments, professional services, support services and construction.
Editor’s notes: In 2023, Balfour Beatty was still in occupation at Quorum Business Park in Newcastle, where it based its centralised employee services, IT, procurement, and finance teams.
The company has its headquarters in Canary Wharf and bases its various teams, such as Highways, Rail, Major Projects, and UK Construction Services, across more than 30 offices in England and 4 in Scotland, including its office at Maxim Business Park between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
In April 2023, availability at Quorum Business Park included small suites of 500 square feet, with a total of 70,000 square feet across 4 office buildings rated either ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’ by BREEAM.
Research conducted in June 2026 found that Balfour Beatty was still based at Q14 Quorum Business Park.
It was also discovered that Just Eat’s 2021 assignment of a lease for 220,000 square feet of office space from E.ON at Rainton Bridge Business Park in Sunderland was the largest letting ever recorded in the North East at the time.
However, HMRC’s pre-let of 463,000 square feet at the Pilgrim’s Quarter in Newcastle soon broke that record. The deal was announced in 2022, and the nine-storey landmark complex was completed in 2025.